The Battle Of Godric's Hollow
by RandomSelection
Summary: Why would James have left his wand when facing HIM? Well, of course he didn't! And, as Voldemort told Harry, he put up a courageous fight!


  
Author's note: Didn't it seem very unlikely to you that James Potter, trying to hold of Voldemort to give his wife the chance to escape, should not have picked up his wand? Or that he would have put it away in the first place? I don't believe it, too ... and I don't believe that Dumbledore would have relied on the Fidelius Charm only, without any backup-plan … And didn't Voldemort tell Harry, his father had "put up a courageous fight"? Well, here is what really happenend.

**The Battle of Godric's Hollow**

‚_Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off –'_

_Hold him off, without a wand in his hand! ... He laughed before casting the curse ..._

„Stupefy!"

That caught him by surprise, and he only just managed to block the spell. This Potter was cleverer than he had assumed, and far more powerful: Obviously he had summoned his wand while passing though the living-room ... and not many wizards were up to wandless magic. But this wasn't going to save him.

„Stupefy!"

Now he was laughing again. „That all you can do?" he asked while blocking the spell effortless, with a casual flick of his wand. „Trying to stun me ... twice?"

„Stupefy!"

He could feel the anger rise inside him. Didn't this worthless fool and mudblood-lover take him serious? Trying to fight him of with stunning spells like this was some kids fight at a schoolyard? Well, he would teach him a lesson, then, teach him some respect! „Oh, come on, Potter", he taunted, „you can do better than that! Or do you _want_ me to kill that mudblood-wife of yours, and your child? You know, I ..."

„Expelliarmus!"

Now that was simply ... ridiculous! The disarm spell? He reacted in an instant, flicking his wand again to block the jet of red light he expected – but it never came! A thick black snake was flying towards him instead, almost as big as Nagini, ready to strike! He blasted it to smoke, in the very last moment, its poisonous fangs only inches away from his throat ... But what was going on here? This was impossible! Serpensortia was ...

„Expelliarmus!"

Instinctively, he used the blocking motion again, yet again there was nothing to block, nothing at last he could see. But he felt a sudden sharp pain at his chest, like being cut with a red-hot blade, saw large gashes appear, and blood splattering the floor – his blood! „Protego!" He had to protect himself, he needed one moment to regain his balance ...

„Stupefy!"

His shield-spell held firm, but he was blasted off his feed nonetheless and smashed into the wall – HE, Lord Voldemort! He never resorted to defence spells, had never been forced to do so! But then, he had never faced a situation like this, the possibility of ... defeat? He had to find a way ... Six identical-looking Voldemort-figures suddenly appeared all over the room, their wands pointing at James ...

„Ridicculus!"

... and were blasted to smoke, just like the black snake before. It was strange and confusing, the spells didn't match their effects, something was going on here he didn't understand … But he didn't need to! He could use Legilimens to know which spell ...

„Waddiwasti!"

There was no mistaking this one. A jet of green light shot at him – and missed him by an inch, blasting a away half the wall. It was distracting, this mismatching – and he had himself allowed to get distracted by this tactics! But no longer! He got up, shooting a killing curse at his opponent while he did so (which Potter dodged), and searched his brown eyes for the reflections of thoughts. James Potter was standing at exactly the same point from where he had cast his first spell, blocking the way to the living-room. His body was tense, prepared, ready to act, but his face was impassive, blank. He did not try to avoid his gaze, he just looked into the menacing snakelike eyes.

There was nothing to be found, no traces or shadows, it was like looking at a plain, hard, impenetrable surface, and even he, most accomplished Legilimens he might be, could not pick up the faintest hint. He hissed with frustration. Dumbledore had done a good job with this one, he had to admit that ... he wouldn't even been able to find this house, if it hadn't been for that weak, worthless, treacherous ...

Suddenly, Lord Voldemort smiled. „Don't you wonder, Potter", he asked silkily, „how I managed to find you?"

One fraction of a second, James Potter seemed petrified in shock. „Sirius ..."

„AVADA KENDAVRA!"

The expression of shock, pain and unbelief was still to be seen in his face when Voldemort stepped over the lifeless body that, only seconds before, had been James Potter. „You've been a fool", he said softly, approaching the door, „trusting your friends. You may have fought valiantly – but a fool you remain."

Flashback:

„I still don't get it, sir", said James, frowning. „How is that supposed to work?"

Lily Potter rolled her eyes at her husband. „It's not that complicated, honey – Professor Dumbledore ..."

„Albus, Lily", interjected Dumbledore, eyes twinkling. „We're not at school any more, you know."

His former pupil smiled back, a little embarrassed. „I can't get used to it, sir – I mean, Albus..."

„Hey! Come back to these ‚Cover Spells', will you ... darling", James quickly added, when he caught his wife's eye. „Please."

Lily smiled at him. „All right. As ... Albus ... has told us, it's not the word that produces the magic, the effect of your spell (which is kind of obvious, really, if you think of non-verbal spells), but the concentration of your mind, and verbalizing it has only a supportive function ..." She hesitated and looked at Dumbledore. „Right?"

„Couldn't have put it better myself!" he answered. „Ten points for Gryffindor – only joking!" He grinned at her expression.

„So", Lily tried to get back to the topic, „if you concentrate strong enough on a certain spell, you can shout anything you want, but you will perform the spell you thought of." She made a face. „In theory."

„Of course you see the advantages", continued Dumbledore calmly. „Not even will your opponent not know what you're about to do, he will also be distracted by was he expects to happen. Imagine someone shouts ‚Expelliarmus' at you, and when you try to block it, you're hit by a stunner ..."

„ ...or by a killing curse", James said under his breath. Lily cast him a worried glance, but Dumbledore continued: „This requires great magical skill and even more discipline of mind – that's why I teach you Occlumency – and of course it comes rather handy itself sometimes."

„Okay." James looked determined. „Let's try again, then ..."

„If you master ‚Cover Spells', they might save you one day – and the ones you love!"  
Sadly, this was one of the very rare occasions Albus Dumbledore was proofed wrong.


End file.
